October 24, 2005

In that post, I questioned whether voting democrats regret their party’s leaders and bosses having nominated Jon Corzine as opposed to Dick Codey (the Acting Governor) for governor. I wondered whether Mr. Codey’s image of a real person would attract more independents and even Republicans than would Jon Corzine.

My then-rhetorical questions were the product of a morning walk, a time when there is no accounting for what may pop into my cruller. It can be anything from a raging river of thoughts to a sweat-soaked silence, punctuated only by the inner voice of my muse who taunts me from time to time about working conditions.

Numerous surveys indicate that Mr. Codey, a Democrat, is the most popular politician in the state. A New York Times Poll, conducted from Oct. 14 to Oct. 19, found that 61 percent of likely voters said they approved of Mr. Codey’s performance, and only 12 percent said that their opinion was “not favorable.” Among Republicans, 48 percent approved of the job he is doing.
The Times poll showed Mr. Corzine leading Mr. Forrester by 9 points, with some signs of the gap closing on the horizon. The poll had Mr. Codey leading Mr. Forrester by 19 points in a fantasy matchup that many voters said they wish were not a fantasy.

I suggested that New Jersey voters might consider Dick Codey to be a “real person.” The Times put it this way:

[Codey is] a man widely viewed as an antipolitician of sorts, a bona fide Jersey guy, complete with rumpled suits, comb-over and a spaghetti-and-meatballs belly.

Quoting a politico from Hudson County (where hardball politics is an art form), the Times noted:

”Codey has more knowledge, more vision and more charisma than either candidate,” said a former public official in Hudson County, who said he was worried about repercussions from Mr. Corzine if his name was used. “Would he have been a better governor than Corzine? Yes. Would he have made a stronger candidate? Yes.”

So, what does all this mean?

1. Corzine’s money talks when it comes to who gets the nod.

2. A few months ago, Codey was seen as a caretaker governor with no political oomph, while Corzine seemed like a sure shot. In politics, a few months can be a lifetime.

3. If, on election eve, it looks like it might be a toss-up, maybe the democrats will have Corzine bail and parachute in Codey. After all, they’ve done it before. Indeed they did it to Doug Forrester. UPDATE:Uh-oh!
4. You can’t make this shit up.